Beti Ellerson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Beti Ellerson
Ellerson at Carthage film festival
Born	United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Director, feminist, social women activist
Years active	1996–present

Beti Ellerson is an American filmmaker and activist. She is well-known for her work in African cinema. She also started the Centre for the Study and Research of African Women in Cinema.

About Beti Ellerson's Life

Beti Ellerson earned her PhD in African Studies from Howard University in the USA. Her studies focused on visual culture, African cinema, and women's studies. In 2004, she taught at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Later, in 2017, she was a special scholar at Texas Tech University.

Beti Ellerson's Career

Early Work and Research

In 1996, Beti Ellerson began a special research project. It was called African Women in the Visual Media: Culture and Politics. She also learned how to write scripts, make videos, and edit films. She learned these skills at a local public TV station.

Reels of Colour and Sisters of the Screen

Using her experience, Ellerson created and hosted a TV series called Reels of Colour. This show aired from 1997 to 2000. It had 27 episodes and was shown on local TV stations in Washington, D.C.

In 2000, she started a documentary project called Sisters of the Screen. She also wrote a book with the same name. The book was about women from Africa working in film, video, and television. In 2002, Ellerson turned her project into a film, also called Sisters of the Screen. This was her first time directing a movie.

Supporting African Women in Cinema

Ellerson kept researching women in film. In 2004, she created a big online guide. This guide helps people learn about African women in cinema. She also wrote many articles for the Black Camera International Film Journal.

In 2008, Ellerson started the online Centre for the Study and Research of African Women in Cinema. This center helps people learn more about women filmmakers in Africa. In 2012, she was a main speaker at a meeting in Paris. The meeting was about women filmmakers from French-speaking Africa.

Film Festival Roles

Beti Ellerson has been a judge at many film festivals around the world.

• In 2011, she was a judge at the International Images Film Festival for Women in Harare.
• In 2018, she was a judge at the London Feminist Film Festival.
• Also in 2018, she was a judge at the Carthage Film Festival (JCC).

In 2013, she was the president of the Diaspora Jury at the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO). In 2016, she led a discussion in Germany. It was about "Sisters in African Cinema" at the Afrika Film Festival Cologne.

Filmography